Unfinished Business
by Rhadeya
Summary: With a replacement for TJ still waiting to be found, Street's unfinished business puts the team at risk... rating may go up in later chapter. Please R
1. Whispers

**_Disclaimer:_**_ The characters and events of the movie S.W.A.T. are not mine. I make no money from writing this fan fic, reviews are the only reward I get for my time. Any new characters, and situations I put them into, are the property of me and are not to be used without my permission. _

_**Notes:** the passage in italics is a dream sequence. Short first chapter to start with, next one will be longer, I promise :)_

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**_01. Whispers_**

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The pale half light of pre-dawn cast strange shadows across the empty streets of Los Angeles. A figure moved in the shadows, walking slowly towards a large building a few hundred meters away. The man walked with a purposeful stride, his attention fixed on his target. Once every few seconds the man glanced over his shoulder, checking to make sure he wasn't being followed. His gaze fixed on the security cameras for a brief moment, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he inclined his head at one and walked on. His pace slowed further as he drew level with the building he had been heading for, taking in everything he needed to know about his target. Smiling, he walked on as the first golden rays of sun began flowing across the streets around him. 

_###########  
  
"Wow, you sound a lot like Fuller," Gamble said, his voice holding a strange tone as he looked at his partner. "Is that what you two were talking about in there? Did you rat me out? You cut a deal to get back on the team Jimmy?"_

_"Did I cut a deal?_

_"Yeah, did you?" The disgust and mistrust in his voice angered his partner. The locker room faded away, leaving only the two men in the darkness, facing each other. Street glanced to his left at the sound of a train horn, momentarily confused as to his whereabouts. _

_"Did you rat me out Jimmy?" Gamble whispered. Street looked down and saw his former partner on the rail tracks, his face covered in blood. The left side of his head was mangled, bits of skull showing clearly through the blood. "You did, didn't you? You sold me out to Fuller that day. You bastard! You sold me out, took the pay check over me..."  
  
_

Jim Street sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath. Beneath him, his sheets were soaked in sweat. He raised trembling hands to his face, wiping the sweat from his brow as he slowed his breathing, trying to calm himself. Ever since that fateful day, four months before, when he had finally killed his former partner, Jim had been having the same nightmare. It was always the same sequence on events, the same scenes to relive, the same accusations whispered in a betrayed voice. Even at the moment of his death, Brian had believed Jim had sold him out to Captain Fuller. And now there was no way for Jim to make amends for the perceived betrayal. 

"Damn it Brian," he muttered, running a hand through his damp hair. "We weren't just partners, we were friends!". Although they had been partners for five years, they had been friends a lot longer than that. They had been best friends, doing everything together. Down time was always spent together, usually playing pool or hanging out, checking out the ladies. They were as close as brothers, so when Brian screwed up and walked out, Jim had been left feeling confused and angry, trying to deal with rumours running wild that he'd sold out his partner.

"Why'd you do it Brian?" It was a question that would never be answered, but he asked it just the same, every morning when he woke up after the same nightmare. Shaking his head, he got out of bed and put on his running gear, slipping his keys in his pocket as he whistled for Liam. The Alsatian was at his side in an instant, knowing they were in for a long run on the beach when his master was in this frame of mind.

"Come on Liam, let's see if we can work this out." Scratching the dog behind the ears briefly, the young SWAT officer headed towards the beach for a long, exhausting run, hoping to take his mind off his past.

###

After an hour of running on the deserted beach, Jim turned back towards his home, knowing he'd get no more peace as people began to descend on the golden sands. Although he had pushed himself hard, his mind felt clearer after the exercise and he felt he had regained some level of emotional balance which had been lost due to the nightmare. As soon as he got home, he grabbed a cold glass of orange juice and hit the shower, readying himself for another day of honing his skills with the rest of his team, while they waited for the next call to come in... 

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I promise the next chapter will be longer. While I write it tho, why don't you hit that little review button and tell me what you think... Go on, you know you want to ;-)_


	2. New Recruit

_**Disclaimer:** The characters and events of the movie S.W.A.T. are not mine. I make no money from writing this fan fic, reviews are the only reward I get for my time. Any new characters, and situations I put them into, are the property of me and are not to be used without my permission. _

_**Notes:** OK, I promised this chapter would be longer, and it is :)_

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**_02. New Recruit _**Two hours after sunrise, the temperature in Los Angeles was already beginning to soar. The city had been experiencing yet another heat wave for the past few weeks, and it looked as if this particular day was going to be just as bad. Jim Street pulled into the parking lot of the SWAT headquarters, smiling slightly as he noticed Hondo's car was already in its customary spot. As he headed out towards the gun range, he saw other vehicles arriving, and knew the rest of the team had managed to fight their way through the heavy morning traffic. He strolled over to his team leader, inclining his head slightly in greeting to one of the few people he trusted with his life. 

"Morning Hondo."

"Street," Hondo replied, in his usual stoic manner.

"Guess the traffic was lighter than usual this morning huh?" The cocky rejoinder was part of a long running joke between the two men, ever since Jim had turned up at just past daybreak when he got a second chance to be part of a SAWT team.

"Uh-huh." A slight smile, hidden quickly, accompanied the reply.

"Yeah, guess I'm gonna have to try harder tomorrow."

"Trouble sleeping again?"

"Err..." The sudden, serious question threw Street and he looked at the older man in surprise. Hondo looked back at him, his expression unreadable, and Jim found he was unable to break eye contact with his boss.

"We'll talk later," he murmured, winking in a conspiratorial fashion to the younger man as the rest of the team came onto the shooting range. The two watched as the rest of the team headed towards them, followed by a rather nervous looking stranger. "Guess that's our new recruit?" Hondo muttered, his tone holding the barest hint of disgust.

"Guess you're right," Street laughed. Both men were beginning to despair of ever finding a replacement for TJ, but they had to keep trying. Ever since the night TJ had turned bad, betraying his team because his greed had gotten the better of him, Captain Fuller had been choosing new recruits to try and fill the vacancy. Fuller had taken great pleasure in sending them people who he knew would never make the grade, delighting in Hondo's often colourful language when yet another one failed. He had jumped on the fact that TJ had betrayed them, and nearly gotten Boxer killed in the process, and used that fact to make sure he had full control over the candidates given to Hondo to train.

"Maybe this one will stay the distance..." Hondo didn't sound particularly convinced of his own words.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see." Hiding his grin, Street turned to greet the rest of the team, wondering whether they would ever find a replacement for TJ. "Morning Chris."

"Morning Street," she nodded her greeting. "Hondo, this is Andy Thomas, our new recruit." As her back was to the newcomer, he couldn't see the smirk on her face, but the rest of the team could see the amusement in her eyes. They all knew it was going to be a fun morning...

##

By lunchtime, the team knew their latest recruit wouldn't be staying with them very long, but kept their opinions to themselves for the moment, knowing Hondo would ask them for their views when he was ready. The look on his face told them all that their team leader was just as unhappy with Officer Thomas' performance during the training session that morning as they were. As soon as a halt was called for lunch, the team headed back to the parking lot, while Officer Thomas went to get something to eat.

"So, what do we all think of our new team member?" Hondo's tone was laden with disgust as he looked at each member of his team.

"He's just fantastic," Boxer replied, sarcastically.

"Yeah, he's a real gem," Street agreed, fighting to control his laughter.

"Well, he is good for amusement value..." Sanchez put in. Her expression was serious, though her eyes sparkled wickedly. The rest of the team had been amazed by her control during the morning, as Thomas had made mistake after mistake and she had still managed to keep her temper.

"I'll inform Captain fuller that Officer Thomas is _not up to the required standard for a SWAT team_," Hondo told them, rolling his eyes in resignation. "Now, get yourselves something to eat and be back here in an hour. We still have work to do." Grinning, he dismissed them and turned towards his car, secretly enjoying the reaction he knew he'd get from his former partner when informed of yet another washout...

##

A single beam of sunlight streamed in through a small hole in the dirty window, falling across a table which contained a mass of diagrams and manila folders. On top of one folder lay a handgun, similar to those carried by the police, and in immaculate condition. A young woman sat at the table, studying on of the diagrams closely, gathering all the details her team would need for their current job. Running her hand through her short, curly brown hair, she sighed and pushed the maps away from her. Picking up the handgun, she held it with the confidence of someone completely at ease with a weapon in her hand. She ran her other hand over the weapon, almost caressing the barrel as she ran a cloth over it, keeping it in pristine firing condition. The weapon had never failed her, because she took such good care of it. It fired every time, and she never missed her target. Only once had she ever wished she had missed, but she'd had a job to do, regardless of the cost.

"Larnia! Where are you?" A deep male voice called, interrupting her musings.

"I'm here, same place I was when you left," Larnia called back, smiling as the man walked into the room where she was working.

"Got you some breakfast..." He held out a paper bag from one of the many fast food restaurants in the area.

"You mean lunch, right?" Laughing, Larnia took the bag and grabbed a few lukewarm fries, munching on them idly as she put her weapon back on the table and pulled the floor plan diagram back into view.

"Right," he agreed quietly. "So, how are we doing?" He nodded towards the drawing she was working on.

"We're almost ready. I should have everything we need detailed by tonight, so we can go tomorrow, as planned."

"Good."

"Now get lost so I can finish my work," she laughed, turning back to her work. As soon as the man left the room, her smile disappeared. She waited until she heard the door close behind him, then moved silently to the window, watching as the man dove off. As soon as he was out of sight, she flicked open her cell phone and dialled a number she knew by heart...

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_Go on, hit the review button... you know you want to... ;-)_


	3. The Job

_**Disclaimer:** The characters and events of the movie S.W.A.T. are not mine. I make no money from writing this fan fic, reviews are the only reward I get for my time. Any new characters, and situations I put them into, are the property of me and are not to be used without my permission. _

_**Notes:** OK, not really sure where I'm going with this yet, but we'll see :)

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_**03. The Job **_

The following day dawned bright and clear, the temperature rising as soon as the sun appeared over the horizon, promising another day of intense heat. Hospitals were overrun with cases of illness brought on by the unusual weather, and the other emergency services were stretched to breaking point with the number of accidents higher than normal. It was the perfect situation for Larnia's group to pull off their plan. Once the Anson building opened, Larnia entered the foyer and arranged an 'appointment' with Mr Swan, the head of the Collections and Debits department. By the time she was taken up to his office, She had already located the control room for the security systems and had planted a small jamming device under the chair she had been sat in, effectively rendering the building defenceless. The jammer would transmit a signal as soon as she activated it, allowing anyone who knew where the control room was to be able to access the building's full security system without the need for security codes. Timing was everything though; if the device was activated too soon, any secondary security systems installed might detect the disconnection of the main system and put the building on lock-down. Keeping an eye on the time, Larnia went through the motions of applying for a job in the company's technical department. Mr Swan appeared to be very impressed both with her resume and the short skirt she was wearing. She managed to keep her expression neutral as she observed Mr Swan 'checking her credentials', his attention diverted by her low cut blouse. It was one of the reasons Larnia had opted to do the initial insertion; she knew how to manipulate men like Mr Swan. The fact that she was also a technical wizard made her the perfect person to clear the way for the rest of the team. 

"I think we may have a position to offer you Ms. Shea," Mr Swan told her, getting to his feet and extending his hand.

"Thank you," Larnia replied, shaking his hand and smiling sweetly. As they made their way back down to the lobby, Larnia spotted the black Mercedes parked outside and activated the jammer. The rest of the team had their timing perfect and, as she came level with the door for the technical control room, four men in black ski masks entered the building.

"Oh my god," Larnia cried in a terrified whisper, clinging to Swan's arm in apparent fear. She made only the briefest of eye contact with Corin, the leader of the masked men, before she was herded into the back room with the rest of the hostages. From the corner of her eye she saw Corin enter the control room and knew he would have the security systems shut down in a matter of seconds, if he followed the instructions she'd given him. Leaving the rest of the heist to her partners, Larnia slipped into character as a terrified hostage, satisfied that the job should go quickly and without incident.

##

The call came in just as Hondo's team were finishing their morning firing practice. At first it seemed their assistance might not be required, but it soon became evident that the situation was much more severe than first anticipated. An additional security system had been installed in the Anson building so that, if the main system was compromised, it silently signalled for assistance to the nearest police division. When two officers were wounded as they tried to approach the building, the local units knew they were in need of some additional help, and called for SWAT involvement.

"Well, boys and girl, we have another incident," Hondo told them, snapping his cell phone shut. He led the way to the black Tahoe the team used, getting in the passenger side and oddly pleased when Street took his usual place behind the wheel. As they pulled out of the parking lot, the team began asking questions.

"What we got Hondo?" Street wanted to know.

"We have ourselves both a 425 and a 413."

"Suspicious circumstances and person with gun?"

"That's right," the team leader confirmed. "Silent alarm was triggered at the Anson building about an hour ago. Was originally classified as a 425, suspicious circumstances."

"So what changed?" Sanchez wondered out loud.

"Two patrolmen approached the building and were both shot."

"Dead?" Boxer asked, his voice quiet.

"No, both officers received gun shot wounds to both legs and arms. The wounds were very carefully placed to incapacitate but not kill." The tone of his voice told the rest of the team that this small fact worried Hondo more than the actual situation did.

"Those are precision shots..." Street put in, catching Hondo's eye for a brief moment.

"Yeah..."

"So, we're dealing with pro's then?"

"That's what it looks like," the older man confirmed. "So be careful when we get there. We know they have hostages, but as yet they've made no demands."

"None?" Deke asked, surprised.

"No, and that's not good either. They obviously know we're on to them, but they're not trying to bargain or make demands."

"Why choose that building? It's not a bank or large department store..." Sanchez tried to figure out that part of the puzzle. She gripped the slender handle beside her head as Street swung the vehicle round a sharp corner, throwing them sideways.

"Wait a minute!" Street exclaimed, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. "The Anson building is home to Anson-Dante Technologies!"

"So?" chorused the rest of the team.

"A-D Tech make the computer systems for most of the major banks, as well as security systems for some of the largest corporations in the world. They're not after money!"

"They're after something that will give them the power to break any bank, or infiltrate any company in the world. If they manage to get the codes out of that building, they'd be virtually unstoppable, and untraceable," Deke confirmed, swearing under his breath.

"We better make damn sure they don't get out of that building with their bounty then," Hondo told them, knowing they all knew what could happen if they failed...

##

"What the hell went wrong?" Corin hissed in Larnia's ear, pressing his pistol to her temple. He'd dragged her out of the back room, away from the hostages, as soon as Matt had taken care of the two policemen. "This was supposed to go down with no-one the wiser. The police were not supposed to be involved!"

"Corin, I don't know what happened. They must have installed an additional fail safe programme since we got the specs for the security system!" Pushing the gun away from her, she looked at Corin with an expression of thinly veiled disgust. In a lightning quick movement, she had her hand around his throat, pressing strong fingers against pressure points in his neck that would kill him if she kept up the pressure. "Don't ever point a gun at me again!" she whispered, waiting until he grunted his affirmation before she released her deadly hold.

"What the hell do we do now?"

"We go to the back up plan. The police are not going to try anything while you have hostages, especially if you're using one of them as a human shield. So you grab me, threaten to kill me if they try anything. Use that situation to get everyone out to the car."

"And you think they're gonna let us go?"

"You didn't kill those stupid cops. That'll count in your favour. Just try not to kill anyone and you should be able to get out of this alive," she shrugged, knowing she was more useful to her partner alive than she was dead.

"Don't think I won't kill you myself if this goes to hell," Corin threatened.

"Don't be stupid, Corin. You know as well as I do that you can't crack those codes without me. Now put me back with the rest of the hostages and wait for the hostage negotiator."

"Sure." Pushing her ahead of him, Corin took her back to the room where they were keeping the hostages. He noted with admiration that she played the role of helpless hostage to perfection. "Do as you're told and no-one will get hurt!" he snarled at them, his weapon held prominently for them all to see. He knew that the rest of his team had little chance of escape. That fact didn't really bother him; the rest of the people here were expendable. As long as he escaped, he could meet up with Larnia later and decrypt the codes they had stolen. The sewer access in the small yard behind the building would allow him to leave without any problems, and if the police believed Larnia was an innocent bystander, she'd be out of custody within a few hours

##

Screeching to a halt a few hundred yards from the Anson building, Hondo and his team were ready to go. They headed to the SWAT truck, nodding their greeting to Lieutenant Velasquez as they all finished getting their gear on.

"So, what's the situation?" Hondo asked his friend.

"They're definitely pro's. Every attempt to approach the building has result in non-fatal gun shot wounds."

"Do we have authorisation to go in?"

"Not at present. We're to secure the perimeter and ensure they have no exit, other than out the front."

"Roger that," Hondo said, his voice calm.

"I see you're still one short..."

"Well, you know how it is..." Winking at his friend, Hondo turned back to his team. "You heard the man. Secure the area and make sure all possible escape routes are covered." They paused as one of the gunmen came towards the front door of the Anson building, looking out through one of the many broken windows.

"Let us leave and no-one gets hurt!" Corin shouted to the SWAT officers outside. The team looked at each other briefly, determined to take down these people before they started getting desperate. "We can end this peacefully, with no fatalities. Just let us go. Otherwise, you'll be explaining to this lady's family why you couldn't save her..." he finished, grabbing a woman from one of this partners.

"Oh shit! What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time, Larnia?" muttered Street, looking at the terrified woman that the gunman was holding.

"What?!?" As one the team turned to look at Jim, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and amazement.

"You know her?" Hondo asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Yeah, I know her," Street confirmed, sighing. "She's my wife..."

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_Hmm, that's a cliff hanger isn't it? If you want me to keep going, please review :)_


	4. Blast from the Past

_**Disclaimer:** The characters and events of the movie S.W.A.T. are not mine. I make no money from writing this fan fic, reviews are the only reward I get for my time. Any new characters, and situations I put them into, are the property of me and are not to be used without my permission. _

_**Notes:** Thanks to Katie for the review... glad that little twist at the end was a surprise :)

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_**04. Blast from the Past **_

Sanchez stared at Jim Street, looking at him as if he was a stranger. They had shared so much during their short time as SWAT teammates, and had become close friends, or so she'd thought. They had even had a brief fling together, but both had decided it wasn't going to work. Yet, after everything they had shared, Jim had never once mentioned he was married. 

"Wonder if Boxer's sister knew about his wife?" she wondered, angry and confused. She knew she wasn't jealous, just upset that he obviously didn't trust her enough to tell her about that part of his past. "Guess he doesn't trust any of us enough," she thought, looking at the shocked expressions on the faces of the rest of the team.

"We'll deal with this later. Right now, we have a job to do," Hondo told them, recovering first.

"Right," Sanchez agreed, casting a betrayed look at Jim.

"We've seen they have hostages, but so far they seem to have been loathe to kill anyone. Maybe we can use that to our advantage," Hondo advised, taking control of a difficult situation. "20-David is securing the rear of the building, so we get to go in the front." Moving off to speak to Velasquez, Hondo sighed quietly to himself.

"So, you been holding out on us?" Deke whispered, nudging Street in the ribs.

"It's a long story... and one I don't want to go into right now," Jim replied, keeping his voice low. He moved a few steps away form the rest of his team, needing time to think. He hadn't seen Larnia for several years, and this was the last place he had been expecting to see her. Brian had been the only person who had known about her, but his former partner was dead and he was going to have to face her alone this time. "Dammit, why did you have to be involved in this?" he cursed silently, angry with her for being in danger.

"Right, we're going to..." Hondo began, stopping at the look on Deke's face. "What?"

"Look..." Nodding towards the building, the team followed Deke's gaze and saw the armed man moving away from the window, dragging Jim's wife with him.

"Shit!" The curse came from Jim, who was snapping a fresh clip into his rifle. Deke and Boxer grabbed his arms, restraining him from rushing into a potentially deadly situation.

"Street!" Hondo barked, throwing a warning look at the younger man. "Not yet! We still have to try for a peaceful..." he stopped as a single gun shot rang out, coming from the building behind them. Screams from the other hostages told them that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Lar!"

"Let's go!" Hondo ordered, breaking his own rules. "20-David, do you have the rear of the building secured?"

"Affirmative. 20-David has containment," came the reply over the radio.

"Right, let's go." Leading the way, Hondo started towards the Anson building, weapon trained on one of the gunmen, just inside the front door.

"Freeze!" shouted Boxer, aiming at another gunman who had just come into sight. Both men briefly looked as though they might resist but, seeing they were outgunned and surrounded, they quickly lowered their weapons.

"Place your weapons on the floor and back away slowly." Hondo slowly approached one of the suspects, as Sanchez and Deke moved forwards to disarm him. The first two suspects were quickly and efficiently taken into custody, and the third was in handcuffs moments later. Boxer and Street moved forward, looking for the fourth gunman, the rest of the team close behind them. Weapons raised, they turned in perfect tandem as a side door opened. Lowering their weapons slightly, they stared at the woman who had just emerged, noting the blood on her leg from some type of wound. Before Hondo could stop him, Street took a step towards her, seeing the shock register on her face as she recognised him...

##

"I've got everything we need. I'll meet you at the beta rendezvous in two days," Corin whispered in Larnia's ear, hiding his smile as she schooled her expression to appear even more terrified, as if he had just whispered a deadly threat to her.

"Please, don't hurt me," she whimpered on cue, the words a pre-arranged response to confirm she understood the plan. He dragged her back away from the window and into the small control room, unbolting the door to the enclosed yard at the back of the building.

"I'll take care of the loose ends, you just make sure they don't suspect you were involved in pulling this off," he muttered to her, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. Slipping out of the door, he fired a single shot at the floor a few feet from her, then quickly shut the door, knowing the police would have heard the shot. They would assume he'd shot her and storm the building, taking care of the loose ends, which were the hired guns he had used to pull this job off.

"Yeah, I know my job Corin. One day, you'll be the loose end and I'll be the one _taking care of it_," she snarled under her breath, disgusted at the part she was being forced to play. Shaking her head, she slipped back into character and went to hurry back to the rest of the hostages. She was mildly surprised when a sharp pain laced up her thigh as she put weight on her right leg, and looked down to see blood running down over her knee. A sliver of stone floor tile, about the size of a dollar coin, was embedded in her thigh a few inches above her knee. "Must be ricochet from that stupid ass stunt shot!" she thought, reaching down to yank the sliver from her leg. Blood flowed freely from the wound, making it appear that she had indeed been shot by Corin as he made his escape.

"All to the good," she murmured. Schooling her expression into a look of pain and fear, she limped from the room, just as a SWAT team entered the building. Leaning against the wall, she couldn't keep the shock off her face as she came face to face with her husband...

##

An eerie silence seemed to descend in the building as Street and Larnia looked at each other, neither saying a word. Other SWAT officers came from other areas of the building, all searching for the missing fourth suspect, and none of them missing the tableau by the security control room.

"What are you doing here Lar?" Street asked, his eyes devouring the woman before him. He fought the urge to reach for her, gather her into his arms and never let her go again. Five years and she still had complete control over him.

"I was applying for a job. Where's Brian?" Looking pale, she leaned heavily against the wall, a steady trickle of blood running from her wound.

"A job? What the hell are you doing back in the country? Last I heard, you'd gone back to England..."

"Yeah, a job. I'm a programmer, remember? I got head hunted about 18 months ago and took a job in New York. When that folded a few weeks ago, I came down here to see if I could find something new," she told him, her voice wavering slightly.

"And you never thought to stop in and say hi?" Angry and hurt, the pain of their past together came flooding back, threatening to overwhelm him.

"I thought about it, but I figured you probably wouldn't appreciate me intruding on your life anymore."

"You never gave me that choice!"

"No, I didn't. I guess now you know how it feels huh?" Her breathing sounded laboured as she struggled to remain standing, anger and adrenaline the only things keeping her conscious.

"What's going on Lar? What are you really doing here?" He wanted answers, and he was determined to get them.

"I told you, I was here to see about a job..." she started to say.

"Cut the crap Larnia! I want the truth, now!" he interrupted, his voice low.

"That is the truth..."

"Don't try that innocent routine with me baby. I know all about the reason you went back to England... about the arrest... and the long jail sentence you were facing..."

"Jimmy, shut up!" she hissed, her gaze fixing on the three men being escorted from the building by the police. He followed her line of sight, and held his tongue until the men were out of earshot.

"Now, you want to tell me what's really going on baby?"

"It's a long story Jim, and one you don't want to hear..." Her voice trailed off as a wave of dizziness swept over her, the room spinning around her. Street closed the distance between them and slipped his arm around her waist, supporting her as her legs suddenly refused to hold her weight. Dropping to his knees, he lowered her to the floor and cradled her in his arms, tenderly brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"When did you get that?" she whispered, running her fingers lightly over the large white scar on the back of his right hand.

"A few months ago..." he began, his throat constricting as he recalled who had given it to him. "Now, you ready to tell me what's going on?"

"You seem to know some of it already..." she began, pausing as Sanchez knelt beside them, slipping a strip of material round her leg and tying a tourniquet to try and stop the bleeding.

"I know you got caught... something to do with computer viruses. I know you were arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but you never made to any correctional facility."

"The perks of working in law enforcement huh?" Her voice was quiet as she smiled gently up at him. When he nodded, and returned her smile, she continued. "I was given a choice. Either work for a certain law enforcement agency back home, or spend the next ten years in jail. I didn't like the sound of jail, so I chose to _serve my country_ and work undercover..."

"Undercover? Doing what?" Sanchez asked, curious.

"Infiltrating high tech criminal groups. With my reputation, it was easy to convince people to include me. Last six months, I've been working with one group in particular, trying to find out who's funding their activity."

"I still don't see the connection..." Chris confessed.

"I do," Street sighed, shaking his head slightly. "You were the ringer, right?"

"The ringer?" Deke sounded confused.

"Yeah. I go in, plant a simple jammer, and provide a distraction. When the job goes down, I play the role of frightened hostage..." she explained, laughing slightly.

"Bet that was fun," Jim murmured, winking slightly at her.

"Oh yeah..."

"So, what now?"

"Well, as long as you guys don't breath a word of what I've just told you, there shouldn't be a problem. As far as Corin knows, you guys will think I'm just one of the hostages... in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

"Right..."

"And I meet him as planned in two days time. I can't jeopardise my assignment. As long as my cover hasn't been blown, I should still be able to find out who's at the top of this pyramid..."

"And if your cover has been blown?" His voice was tight as he asked the question, fearing the answer.

"If that's the case, when I meet Corin in two days time... one of won't leave the meeting alive..."

"Larnia..."

"No! Don't try to stop me Jimmy. I know what I'm doing, and I can handle myself!"

"Please Lar, think about this..."

"Jimbo..." she murmured, looking up at him suddenly.

"Yes, Lar?"

"Baby, where's Brian?"

"What?" Thrown by the unexpected question, Jim wasn't sure what to say. It was a question he knew she was going to ask, given her relationship to his former partner, but he didn't know what to tell her. Did he tell her the truth? That Brian screwed up, got thrown off SWAT and then betrayed his friend? Did he tell her that Brian had died by his hand?

"Jim, where's Brian? Where's my brother...?"

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_Hmm, another cliffhanger huh? Should I keep going? If the answer is yes, review and tell me so ;-)_


	5. Painful Truths

_**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything but my original characters lol _

_**Notes:** Hmmm, so what's gonna happen next, I wonder? If you want me to continue, please review. I don't get paid for writing fan fics, the only thing I get for putting in the time and effort, is reviews. For a writer, reviews can be the making or breaking of a fic, so please let me know what you think of the story so far, and whether you want me to continue :)_

_This chapter doesn't have much action, but it does fill in some of the history between Street and Larnia ;-)

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_

**_05. Painful Truths _**

Faint light filtered in through the blinds as Larnia came back to consciousness. At first she was confused as to her whereabouts, but the events of the day slowly surfaced in her mind and she groaned slightly at the memories. She remembered things going sour at the Anson Building, and Corin being extremely upset about the fact. She also recalled him slipping out the back door while no-one was looking, firing a single shot to goad the police officers outside, and the small ricochet fragment that had hit her leg. Opening her eyes, she saw lots of white and it took a few moments for her tired mind to register that she was in a hospital of some kind._ "Think!"_ she scolded herself silently, trying to recall the rest of the events of the day. She remembered that the police SWAT teams had stormed the building, and that... 

"Jim..." she whispered, her throat sore. Jim had been there, and he'd been angry with her. It seemed he was still angry about the way she had left, and with her being in the middle of a hostage situation.

"I'm here Lar." The voice sounded familiar to her, but it took a second for her to recognise it as Jim's.

"Jim?"

"I'm here baby. Just relax, you're safe now." The gentle, quiet words had the desired effect of calming her, and she smiled slightly.

"I'm glad you're here. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to tell you... I'm sorry."

"Shhh, it's ok. We can talk later. Rest now." She felt his hand wrap around hers and sighed. The drugs in her system washed over her again and she slipped into a deep, healing sleep.

##

The room was dark when she came round again, feeling a little stronger than she had before. Slowly turning her head, she saw that no light filtered through the blinds and realised that it was night. A gentle pressure against her left hip registered and she looked down to see Jim, sat in a chair and with his head resting on the bed beside her, fast asleep. Larnia smiled slightly, remaining still, and watched him sleep. He looked so carefree and young when he was asleep, as though all the worries he carried with him during the day had just disappeared. Her gaze fell on the large scar on his right hand, and she wondered again when he'd gotten it... and who had given it to him. It looked new, as though it had only been a few months since it had happened. Had he been injured in the line of duty, or involved in some sort of bar brawl? Either way, it seemed an unusual injury to have received, especially when Brian would have had his back. That thought made her stop her musing, and she wondered again where her half-brother was. He hadn't been with the rest of the SWAT team, and he wasn't here by her bedside. Those two facts worried her; surely Jim would have told him she was here? She knew he had to be around somewhere, she just didn't know where. The change in her breathing roused the man beside her and she smiled as he raised his head, blinking sleepily at her.

"Hey you," she murmured.

"Hey yourself. How you feeling?" His voice still slurred with sleep, he smiled gently at her, squeezing her hand.

"I'm doing ok. What am I doing here?"

"Well, you remember that wound you got..."

"Yeah?"

"It nicked the artery in your leg. Sanchez managed to slow the bleeding but you lost a fair amount of blood. It was touch and go for a while..." The tone of his voice told her that he was making light of the situation.

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days. You came round a couple of times, muttering something. No-one could make out what you were saying though."

"Three days?! Shit!!" Angry, she tried to push herself into a sitting position, but she was still too weak to move very far.

"What's the matter?" Jim asked her, concerned. "Hey, relax baby."

"No! I was supposed to meet Corin yesterday!"

"Lar, it's been all over the news that you were injured in the hold-up. This Corin guy is bound to have heard about it. We made sure that, as far as the media is concerned, you were an innocent bystander who was badly wounded by a gunman who escaped capture," Jim reassured her, gently but firmly making her lay back down.

"Really?"

"Yeah, cross my heart." He winked at her when she smiled at his choice of words.

"So, what are you doing here, Jim?"

"Same thing you were doing six years ago, when..." He paused, unable to continue as memories of that time washed over him.

"When you got shot in the line of duty, and I nearly lost you?"

"Yeah, that," he murmured, sighing.

"You've been here the whole time? Why?" she wanted to know, searching his face.

"Well... partly because it means I don't have to explain to the rest of my team about you... or us... but mainly because I still love you, even after everything that's happened..."

"Look, Jim... I had to go. You must understand that... after what happened, I couldn't stay here. Too many bad memories..."

"Lar, I know you blame yourself for Dani's death but it wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing you were going to get mugged that day, or that he'd have a knife... and be willing to use it."

"I know, but I still wonder if the situation would have been different if I had just given him my bag. Would he still have stabbed me, and murdered our daughter? Or would he just have disappeared? If she hadn't died, would we still be together, maybe even had a couple more children?"

"I don't know love, I really don't know." A solitary tear ran down his cheek as he looked down at her, the pain of those months still as fresh as the day it had happened. "When we got the call, Brian and I must have broken every speed limit in the state to get to you. The doctor told me that your chances were 50/50 but that Dani was already dead. They said the knife had severed her spine and she'd died instantly. What they didn't mention was that..."

"That the damage done by the knife would prevent me having any children in the future," she finished for him, her voice tight.

"Yeah. Thing is, you never let me in after that. You shut yourself off, like you were trying to protect me... but I needed you. I knew you were grieving, but so was I."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I couldn't deal with it. That's why I ran off and got involved in that stupid computer virus stunt," she confessed. "I guess, in some way, I felt as though I needed to be punished... for something... It took a long time to come to terms with everything that had happened. By the time I finally realised exactly what I'd lost, I figured it was too late to come back and try to make amends."

"You figured wrong..."

##

The silence in the room stretched out as Jim and Larnia simply looked at each other, in a way they hadn't looked at each other for a long time. They had been happy during their marriage, but the death of their unborn daughter had caused a rift between them. Grief, mingled with guilt on both sides, had stopped them from healing the breach and one day, a few months later, Jim had gone to work and come home to find his wife gone. Six months of searching had turned up no trace of her, until he had spotted her name on an FBI list of captured hackers. After that he'd been able to track her movements for another six months, until she seemed to vanish from police records. _One of the perks of working in law enforcement..._ she'd been right on that score.

"Jimmy, why haven't you answered my question baby?"

"Which question?" he asked, suddenly afraid of what he might have to tell her.

"Where's my half-brother? Why isn't Brian here? Why wasn't he with you the other day, when the team took down Corin's hired thugs?"

"That's three questions..." He was stalling, and she knew it.

"Jim..."

"Lar, a lot of things have happened since you left..."

"He's dead, isn't he?" she asked, his silence confirming her suspicions. "Did you do it?"

"I... he... it's complicated..." he finished, lamely.

"So, you did do it. What happened?"

"Things went bad. About ten months ago, a hold up situation went bad and we both got thrown off the team. Brian got mouthy with Fuller and got himself fired. I stayed, but he never forgave me. He was convinced I'd sold him out to the brass..." The pain in his voice was unmistakable.

"And..."

"Four months ago, we got called in to escort a guy called Alex Montel..."

"The guy who offered $100,000,000 to anyone who could free him from police custody?"

"Yeah, him," Jim sighed, closing his eyes. "One of our guys, TJ, he couldn't resist and set us up. He and Brian freed Montel, nearly killed another one of my team in the process, and tried to get Montel out of the country. We followed them..." he stopped as his throat constricted, the pain and guilt of what he had done worse now than it had been on the night he'd killed his best friend.

"And you killed my brother? There's more to it than that. You wouldn't just throw away a lifetime of friendship unless it was extreme circumstances..."

"He tried to kill me..."

"That's where you got the scar, isn't it? Brian did that... because he believed you'd betrayed him..." Her voice was deceptively calm as she made the link she hadn't wanted to believe.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry Lar, I didn't want it to end like that..." His eyes filled with tears, for old pain as well as new...

##

The door to Larnia's hospital room was behind them, and out of their immediate line of sight. Neither of them saw Hondo standing in the doorway, the rest of his team behind him. The four SWAT officers had heard every word, and none of them knew what to say about it. Moving silently away, they said nothing until they were outside the hospital and back in their vehicle. Each one of them was trying to comprehend exactly what their team member had been through. Sanchez and Deke could understand a little of what the couple must have felt after the murder of their daughter; they each knew how they would feel if anything ever happened to their own children. Hondo knew how it felt to be betrayed by a work partner; Fuller had betrayed him a long time ago. Boxer could understand how devastating the loss of her brother must be for Larnia; he didn't want to think what he might resort to if he lost his sister. But none of them could fully understand the losses that Jim and his wife had suffered, or how either of them had managed to stay sane after everything they had been through...

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_OK, should I go on? _

_Will Corin believe the media stories about Larnia? Or has her cover been blown? Can Jim and his wife ever heal the rift between them?_


	6. Dangerous Games

_**Disclaimer:** Do I still need to write this in? Don't own anything, even my sanity, but the original characters and situations are mine and are not to be used without my express permission._

_**Notes: **Since ppl have been requesting I continue, here's the next chapter. Italics are flashback. Sorry about the lack of action, but I'm setting the scene for the next chapter, which will bring Larnia and Corin back together...

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_

_**06. Dangerous Games**_

Darkness had descended over the city as Corin sat in his hotel room opposite the hospital, watching the comings and goings of the busy ER. He knew Larnia was inside, and that she had attracted a lot of attention from the police; the SWAT teams in particular seemed to be very interested in her, but he had been unable to ascertain why. Perhaps they were simply discussing with her what had happened in the control room when he had disappeared, and she had nearly died from a small wound in the wrong place. A small twinge of guilt ran through him as he recalled the shot he had fired at the floor, not realising that a sliver from the stone floor would ricochet and hit her. Nor had he had any way of knowing that the sliver would embed itself in her thigh, nicking the artery in her leg and causing her to nearly die from the blood loss she had suffered. However, as they had not arrested her, he knew that her cover had not been blown. All he could do now was wait for her to be released from hospital and then the two of them would disappear with the codes they had stolen, codes which would make him rich. Of course, she would have to make a permanent disappearance but it was all part of the game they were playing. He felt a brief moment of sadness at the thought of killing her, but he knew it was something that had to be done. He ran the sharpening stone along the edge of the blade in his hand, knowing it was sharp enough to slit her throat without her ever being able to scream. Setting the blade on the table beside him, Corin turned his attention back to the hospital across the road, waiting for the right moment to strike.

**  
Jim** looked at his former wife, feeling the hot sting of the tears which rolled down his cheeks. Ever since he had lost his daughter, he'd bottled up his pain and, when Larnia left, he'd thrown himself into his work and tried to forget. Now, the memories came flooding back, and he was powerless to stop them...

_A gentle, but insistent, tapping against his hand roused him from a light sleep and he opened his eyes, vaguely surprised to see his wife smiling at him. His right hand was laid gently against her swollen abdomen and he lay still, wondering what had woken him. He felt the tapping again, slightly harder this time, and gasped as his sleep fogged mind finally registered what he was feeling. He turned eyes wide with awe towards his wife and saw her wink, her own eyes sparkling with mischief. Smiling back at her, he sighed happily and tenderly ran his hand over silky soft skin, feeling several kicks in response to his touch. He lay back next to the woman he loved, and savoured his first experience of feeling his child kicking..._

_"And there's her head," the nurse told them, indicating a point on the small monitor beside her. Jim looked over at Larnia, grinning like a child at Christmas with a brand new toy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the amused smile on the face of the nurse, and guessed his was a fairly common reaction from a first time father, but that fact didn't alter his joy and wonder at seeing his daughter for the first time. He wondered what she would look like when she grew up; would she have Larnia's soft features and ocean blue eyes? Would she be as much of a tearaway as they had both been when they were children? Would he vet all potential suitors, turning them away if he found even the slightest fault? His smile wider than ever, he gently squeezed his wife's hand and turned back to the monitor..._

_He pressed his foot hard against the accelerator pedal of his car, hardly seeing the rev counter spike or the speedo needle slip past the 100mph mark. Beside him, his best friend sat in silence, his face white and his jaw clenched. Jim swung the car around a corner, running several red lights as he sped down the road towards the hospital. Mark's words still echoed in his mind... "Jim, there's been an incident...Larnia's hurt..." He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the terrifying possibilities which kept forcing themselves into his mind. He barely registered arriving at the hospital, nor running in and demanding to know where his wife was. He stopped short when a doctor in surgical scrubs approached them, asking if he was Larnia's husband. His body went numb as he heard the doctor's words, but he felt the burning tears which fell unchecked as the doctor informed him that his unborn daughter was dead, and his wife was in critical condition..._

_He stood in the dark, hearing the train approaching. He looked down at the man who had once been his best friend, the man who had betrayed him and tried to kill him moments ago. In those few seconds, as Brian lay on the track, knowing he was about to die, he saw betrayal in his former friend's eyes. Not for the incident 6 months before when they'd parted ways, but for Larnia. Brian's eyes told him that her brother blamed him for letting her go, for the trouble she'd gotten into since, for her disappearance, and for the death of Brian's unborn niece. As the train thundered past, instantly killing Brian, a single tear slipped down Jim's cheek, and he bowed his head, knowing he'd failed both of the people he cared about most..._

He slowly came back to the present, taking a moment to realise that Larnia's arms were around him, comforting him as he finally vented his grief. He remained there, his head laid against his wife's leg, allowing himself to grieve for everything he'd lost. His tears spent, he stayed still, feeling safe within the circle of his wife's arms. He knew he would have to explain everything to his team mates, and watch the woman he loved walk out of his life once more. As that thought struck him, a wave of fear washed over him and he sat up, pulling away from the comfort she offered. Wordlessly he looked at her, knowing that if he lost her again, and didn't have Brian to help him through the pain, it would destroy him.

"Lar, I don't want you to go to that meeting. It's too dangerous," he said, his heart in his voice.

"James, I have to go. I'm in too deep now, if I don't go then I'm as good as dead already." Her eyes begged him to understand, to let her do what she had to.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the only one who has the information Corin's group needs. Without me, the data we stole is useless. But," she told him, holding up her hand to stop him from interrupting as she continued. "If I don't make it to the rendezvous, he won't stop until he's found me, got what he needs and killed me."

"And what if he turns on you at the rendezvous?"

"He won't try anything until I've given him what he needs. Jim, you have to trust me, I do know what I'm doing." She brushed her fingers down his face as she spoke, mildly surprised to feel the same instant electric connection they'd shared before life had fallen apart for them both. She could offer him the comfort he desperately needed now, for she had dealt with those same demons already, and come to terms with her loss. She was about to tell him that fact, when a timid knock at the door interrupted them.

A fresh-faced young nurse came into the room, carrying a bouquet of white lilies in a blue glass vase. She smiled at the couple, placing the vase on the cabinet beside the bed and slipping out of the room without saying a word. Larnia glanced at Jim, her expression a mixture of puzzlement and amusement as she reached over and removed the small card nestled within the heart of the flowers. Her eyes widened as she read the simple, one line message it contained and she sighed deeply, knowing the time had come for her to finish what she'd started.

"When do you think they'll let me leave?" she asked quietly, her eyes skimming the message once more.

"Another day or so, you've had back the blood you lost. Why?"

"Because I need to leave as soon as I can." She handed him the plain white card, which simply read: _posterus dies dimidium fontis quadratus 3_. ( future days half fountain square 3). Jim looked at her, puzzled by the strange message as she translated the words.

"What does it mean?"

"It means I have to meet him in half a week, three days, at the Square Fountain. It's a dingy motel not far from here, the kinda place we used to go when we had no cash," she explained. She winked at him when he smiled at her last words, knowing they'd stayed in some pretty run down dives during their early relationship.

"You're playing a dangerous game Lar. I don't want you getting yourself killed. I've already lost my best friend; I don't want to lose you as well, not again..." His throat tightened as he thought of Brian, and how they'd supported each other after she left. It was one of the reasons Brian had gotten so reckless the day they'd been thrown off the team, because he was still trying to deal with his sister's disappearance.

"I have to do this Jim, you know that. I promise that, if I get out of this alive, I'm not going anywhere ever again." The tender look she gave him showed the truth of her words, and Street felt a stab of desire so strong it was almost overwhelming.

"I'll hold ya to that," he threatened, leaning forward and gently pressing his lips to hers...

**  
Across** the street, in the dark hotel room, Corin watched the comings and goings outside the hospital. He knew that Larnia would understand the message he had included with the flowers. His lips curved into a smug smile as he wondered whether she would get the significance of the flowers themselves, for lilies were commonly used as funeral bouquets, and he would make sure he laid some on her grave...

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_OK, there'll be some action in the next chapter, I promise ;-)_


	7. Time Heals?

_Don't own it, don't make anything from writing this so please don't sue All original characters and situations are mine, and are not to be used without permission._

_My apologies for it having taken 6 years to get going on this again but life got in the way and my muses went on an extended vacation Still, they're back now I know I said there'd be action in this chapter but I promise things will get real tense really soon_

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Larnia sat on the edge of the hospital bed as the doctor gave her a final once over, to satisfy himself that she was fit enough to leave their care. Nodding to himself, he checked her pulse, breathing, blood pressure and huffed at the way the cut to her leg was healing.  
"Well, Ms Shea, it appears that you are well enough to leave. I would, however, advise against any strenuous activity for several days, at least until the stitches have been removed from your wound," the doctor told her, smiling as he indicated she was free to leave. Jim Street stood by the door, looking particularly fit in jeans and a snug fitting black t-shirt, and moved to offer her his arm as support when she got up off the bed. She suppressed the twinge of pain she felt as she put weight on her leg, knowing she'd have to get used to it until the injury was properly healed. She took Jim's arm, grateful for the support, and the paid slowly made their way down to the car park, and Jim's car.  
"Jim, how much do your team mates know about me? About us?"  
"Only that we were married, and what you told them at the Anson Building. Why?" he asked, wondering about the reason for her question.  
"So they don't know Brian was my half brother? Or about Dani? I can't remember half of what I said," she confessed, as she got into the car and tried to find a comfortable position.  
"I don't think they heard the bit about Brian, you were pretty quiet by that point baby. It was after you asked the question that you passed out from the blood loss," Street told her, starting the car and heading towards the exit. They didn't speak for a while as they drove and it was only when they pulled onto his driveway that Larnia realised where they were.  
"Jim..." she began, stopping when he reached over a placed his finger against her lips.  
"I'm not taking any arguments Lar. I have a spare room here. You can crash for as long as you want, no strings, but I'm not about to abandon you again."  
"Thanks Jimmy," she said simply, accepting his help without argument.  
"Come on, you could probably do with some proper food," he laughed, hiding his confusion at her easy acceptance of his offer of help. The Larnia he knew would have argued for a good hour or more before accepting help, and he wondered just what had happened in the 5 years since they'd parted ways. Brushing aside his doubts, he helped her out of the car and into the house, knowing he'd get his answers eventually.

##

Corin watched the apartment block where Larnia lived well into the night, wondering where she was and why she had not come home. He knew she had been released from the hospital and that one of the SWAT officers had given her a lift, but he had assumed she would be coming straight home to then make contact with him. He reasoned that perhaps she had been unable to come home, for fear that the police were still watching her, and had opted for another location to lay low until their meeting. The fact that she had not returned home was an annoyance to Corin, as he had planned to confront her as soon as she got back and take what he needed, then dispose of her quickly and quietly. He consoled himself with the fact that, in less than 48 hours, he would be a very rich man living in a country with a temperate climate and no extradition treaty with the USA. He amused himself with fantasies of his new lifestyle while he waited for the only loose end to make herself available to die.

##

The smell of well done steak and mashed potatoes with cheese slowly wafted into the living room of Jim Street's apartment, making Larnia's mouth water and her stomach grumble. She smiled to herself, remembering how Jim had always insisted on cooking whenever he could, and some of the crazy dishes he'd come up with. She curled up on the sofa in sweat pants and an old Iron Maiden t-shirt, still trying to get her head around the events of the past few days and the shocks she had gotten, the most recent of which being the discovery that Jim had kept the things she had left behind at their old house. Some items of clothing, including the ones she now wore, as well as a few bits of jewellery and some tatty books had spent the past 5 years nearly packed away in a box, which he had hidden in his closet and never let anyone see. The faint scent of Jim on the clothes told her that he had not just left them in the box, and made her wonder how often he'd thought of her since she left. She wasn't about to admit it to him, but she'd seen him on television the day Alex Montel had made his crazy offer to the waiting press, and she'd even gone so far as to pick up the phone, ready to call the cell number she knew still belonged to him. She never made the call, afraid of what his reaction would be to her reappearance in his life, but she admitted to herself now that her feelings for him had not changed. She wondered whether he'd ever had the marriage dissolved, given that they had been separated for so many years, and her hand strayed to the necklace she always wore, her fingers finding the plain gold band which hung from the chain. Corin knew of it, he'd been told the sad story of how she'd lost her husband and child in a home invasion that was the cover story which went with the new identity she'd been given, that of Lara Shea. She vaguely recalled telling Jim of her new identity just before she passed out, and the drivers license in her purse had been used to confirm her identity.

Her musing was interrupted by Jim entering the room, carrying 2 large plates heaped with food, one of which he handed to her. The TV in the corner remained switched off as Jim settled onto the sofa next to his wife and they both dived into their food with abandon. Neither spoke while they ate, content to simply share each other's company in a comfortable silence while they organised their scattered thoughts. They finished their meal, Jim clearing up their plates and putting them into the dishwasher before returning to the living room and settling back onto the sofa beside his wife.  
"So…" Jim started to say, unsure where to start on what he wanted to say.  
"I still…." She began at the same time, stopping to try and articulate what she had in her heart.  
"When you left, it felt like my world came to an end. In the space of a few months, I lost everything; our home, our child and the woman I loved. Brian convinced me to apply for the force but it took time to get my life back to some semblance of normality," he told her, not wanting to hurt her with his words but needing her to know how he'd felt.  
"I know Jimmy, and I'm sorry. I think, in a way, when I left I was trying to punish myself for what happened. I felt like I had to leave, that I didn't deserve to have you when I couldn't even protect our child," she sobbed, her tears flowing freely as she finally admitted to him her guilt and pain. He gathered her into his arms, his tears mingling with hers as the grief that had driven them apart finally brought them together to complete the healing process. They cried themselves out, letting their tears carry away all the pain, the anger and the heartache they had both been carrying with them. He pulled away slightly, looking her in the eye as he reached up and gently lifted the chain out from beneath her t-shirt, his thumb brushing lightly against the cold metal of her slender wedding band.  
"I can't believe you kept this," he murmured, tilting his head to one side as he looked at her.  
"I rarely take it off, and when I do, it goes on that chain so it's always with me," she confessed, looking down at her clenched hands so she wouldn't have to look at him. She tried to calm herself but being this close to him was difficult, even after all the time that had passed and the heartache she had been through. Every minute of every day, her soul had mourned the losses of her child and her husband, and now that she was so close to him again, she couldn't think clearly and felt as if she was suffocating. She pulled away, knowing she would do something they'd both regret if she didn't put some distance between them. As she rose to her feet, she twisted her injured leg and stumbled. Jim reached out to steady her but it was too late and she fell, her momentum and his unbalanced position causing him to be pulled from his seat as he fell with her. Somehow, he managed to turn himself so that he landed first, helping to cushion her fall as she landed against him. They looked at each other for the briefest moment before their lips met and the dam that had held their emotions in check crumbled. The tide of passion, desire and need flooded them and they kissed as though their very lives depended on it...

* * *

_Ok, so not quite the action I had previously promised but action none the less ;-) Hope you like, if you do, please review_


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